STOCKHOLM (UPDATED) - A new solo album by Per Gessle, "Mazarin," (Cupcake) will be released on June 16. The album is in Swedish and contains 14 tracks. A single, "Här kommer alla känslorna (På en och samma gång)" (Here come all the feelings [all at once]), is to precede the album, with a radio date of May 19.

The working name was "Mazarin" and the name has been kept, since like this pastry (see photo at right), this album is full of good stuff!

The album is recorded in Christoffer Lundquist's studio - The Aerosol Gray Machine - with Per Gessle, Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman.

Lately Per has had a partiality to write in Swedish, and since the pile of songs grew a Swedish album came to mind. So when the year was at its darkest and coldest, an album that breathes – from the first tone to the last – Swedish summer, came alive.

The sleeve (see below) and the poster photos (click to enlarge the one shown at left) are taken by Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn who has worked with U2, Depeche Mode and Roxette, to mention a few. The album cover is shown below.

A special limited edition of the album has been made, that includes a DVD: "En Mazarin blir till" (The Making of a Mazarin). A 32-minute long behind-the-scenes "documentary" filmed and edited by Per and his friends.

"It's been a totally fantastic recording," Per says. "An incredible recording really. We stayed in a hostel and worked basically around the clock, five weeks down in a snow-covered Skåne. Christoffer and Clarence shared my dream to make a warm, immediate and yet kind of thoughtful album. Small town. Small thoughts but Big feelings. I don't think I can get any more personal than this."

Aftonbladet also reports today about Per Gessle's new solo album, and reveals a nice surprise to all Marie fans: she has recorded a song for the album, where she sings both chorus and backing vocals.

The song is "På promenad genom staden" (Strolling through the town) and is about Per's hometown, Halmstad. "It's incredibly cool that Marie wanted to sing on a song for the album," Per tells Aftonbladet.

This is the first full song Marie records after she was operated due to a tumor last September, and it was recorded in Stockholm three weeks ago under complete secrecy.

Per explains that Marie feels much better, almost completely fine, and that she is on her way back, "…she has gone through a bad time, but she is back, and it feels fantastic…" Per says. He also points out that the song is not a duet. "Marie sings parts and backgrounds, but it's a full song, not like 'Opportunity Nox'."

"One of the album's advantages is that nothing sounds like this. While one of its disadvantages is that nothing sounds this…" Per laughs.